


Nothing More Than A Southside Stranger

by JugheadDreamTeam



Category: Archie Comics, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Archie Andrews is mean, Asexual Jughead Jones, Bulimia, Bullying, Canon Gay Character, Depression, Eating Disorders, Gen, Grundy is a predator, Homeless Jughead Jones, Hurt Jughead Jones, Jason Blossom is Alive, Jughead Angst, Jughead Jones Needs a Hug, Jughead Jones is Not Asexual, Jughead Jones-centric, Jughead gets bullied, Multi, Other, Pop Tate's, Purging, References to Depression, So maybe Asexual jughead, Twilight Drive-In, Veronica Lodge is new, We killed moose instead of Jason, binge eating, idk yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-08 17:12:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11086188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JugheadDreamTeam/pseuds/JugheadDreamTeam
Summary: Jughead Jones has Issues. Issues that he hopes to keep to himself. Secrets. He's so doubting of himself that he can't even imagine that people would care about how he's doing, not that he'd be able to answer anyways. Jughead has been struggling through bullying, depression, and Bulimia. Honestly, he's not sure if anyone can save him from drowning in this never ending pit.He lost Archie over the summer to none other than the schools own music teacher, and hes eerily close to losing Betty too. Jughead's always been the type to deflect off of himself, but its starting to go too far. Jug is self-destructing and no one is there to save him. He doesn't know what to do. Luckily a brighter, and unexpected light in his life comes in like a burning angel and helps glue all of his pieces back together. Maybe one day things can go back to where they were, or our very own Jughead Jones may be a new person forever.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





	1. Jughead Has Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead struggling through his life, one step at a time. He can't help but be somewhat distant and cruel to Archie. But only cause the redhead deserved it.
> 
> •
> 
> You can yell at me on my Tumblr! By clicking there, I also take edit and writing requests in my ask box!

Cold. That’s all he registered as he slowly woke up. He was shivering, struggling to open his eyes. Having been raised on the wrong side of the tracks, Jughead Jones grew up with a deadbeat father. At a young age, his mother and sister abandon him. He had always been picked on and treated like the social outcast of his school. Bullied by his peers, mostly the football team, Jughead quickly learned that his safe place was his two best friends, Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper. Unfortunately, Archie had been drifting away from him recently. It had started at the end of May, right after summer started. Archie had stopped answering his texts as quick, then their hang-outs at the Drive-In had randomly stopped, due to Archie cancelling every other one. When his best friend cancelled the road trip they had been planning for years he knew something was up, and naturally he assumed that he had scared his own friend off. It wasn't that much of a stretch in Jug’s mind.  
  
Jughead sighed as he pushed himself up in the bed that he had haphazardly thrown together in the Drive-In that he loved so much. There was a sharp pain in his stomach, but by now he had trained himself to focus on other things. Since the beginning of Freshman year Jughead had been struggling with what he had finally identified as Bulimia. He wasn’t even sure why he kept throwing up, was it because he didn't like how he looked? He didn't think so. By now it was just a reaction, part of his daily schedule: eat until he couldn't anymore, then throw it all back up. He figured the throwing up made him feel less empty, even though logically, that was exactly what it did; It made him empty. He wasn't skin and bones, no one ever said that about him, but he was undoubtedly sick. He realized that no one really cared what he looked like. He looked trashy all the time, and no one ever commented on it.  
  
He threw on a pair of old black jeans, a grey v-neck, his jacket, and his signature beanie before stepping out of his house. He never looked forward to his school days. They were always the same; he tried to talk to Betty, figured she was annoyed with his presence so he left. His third period would be Gym, in which he would be pushed around and once again reminded of how weird and antisocial he was. He mostly carried a monotone “I don't care about the world” type attitude and voice tone, so no one really thought they were bothering him.  
  
When he stepped into the school he immediately saw Betty's blonde ponytail bobbing through the crowd, so he jogged towards her. Standing next to her was a new face he had never seen before.  
  
"Uh, hey Betty.” He glanced at the other girl and did a quick assessment. She was pale and had dark black hair. It was easy to tell she cared about how she looked but not too much. She obviously had money, and a lot of it. He looked back to Betty just as she introduced the new girl.  
  
“And this here is Veronica Lodge. She just moved here from New York.” Jughead noted her big smile and perky attitude that she always seemed to carry around with her. “Veronica, this is my friend Jughead”  
  
"It's nice to meet you.” Veronica offered him a hand which he gladly took. He introduced himself, albeit being incredibly awkward before frowning.  
  
"Well, It looks like you’re busy...so I’ll see you later?” He turned away and trudged to his locker, grabbing his Chem book. On his way to class he kept his eyes to the ground, but he could still feel the stares of jocks, cheerleaders and classmates on him. It felt like he was translucent, all of their eyes seeing the true him: Empty, Cold, Dead. He took the judgement as always, thinking up quick quips to use incase anyone stopped him and tried to speak.  
  
He was early to his Chemistry class which allowed him to choose what seat he wanted to sit in, without having to deal with Reggie and Co. He moved to the back corner and threw his backpack down. When the rest of the students filed in Jughead frowned. Archie had sat his stuff in the desk right next to Jug. Of course they still sat at the same lunch table, but usually Arch was too busy flirting or Jughead was busy scoffing down food/trying not to throw up.  
  
It was when Archie leaned over to talk to him that he really started to regret showing up to school. He didn't want to see his old friend be forced to speak and he wanted to stop feeling like a burden to literally everyone he interacted with.  
  
"How are you? You look sick.” Jughead sincerely hoped he was dreaming. He tried to just ignore the words, hoping he had imagined it. “Jug. Jug. I know you can hear me… you get this look and yo-” Jughead turned to look at him.  
“What do you want Archie.” His voice was colder than he intended.  
  
"You… just look sickly… we’re friends so I figured..” He faltered and trailed off with the glare that Jug barely registered himself sending in the direction of Archie.  
  
“We aren't friends, Archie. You made sure of that this summer.” He shouldered his bag and stood up, interrupting the class. He realized a little too late that he shouldn't have made such a big action. Archie looked like a kicked puppy, but Jug only saw a glimpse before he was muttering an excuse to the teacher and rushing down the hall. He had the overwhelming need to vomit. He knew it would all be dry heaves but he couldn't help it. By now it was a body instinct. Uncomfortable? Throw up. Embarrassed? Throw up. And of course: Full? Throw up.  
  
Jughead quickly, almost sprinting, traveled into the bathroom. Going into a stall, the teen dropped to his knees as he began attempting to make himself throw up. He gagged and retched, but in the end, he was just dry heaving, as expected. The boy became frustrated with himself. He couldn’t even do this one thing correctly. He wanted to throw up, he needed to, yet here he was. An angry sigh left his lips as he heard a door swing open and footsteps walk in. Not caring, Jughead continued to dry heave even when he heard a quiet gasp echo throughout the bathroom.  
  
“Jughead? Are you okay?” Jug immediately recognized the voice. Kevin Keller. He carefully, and shakily, stood up on wobbly knees.  
  
"I-I’m fine,” he said, exiting the stall. Kevin looked at him with curious eyes.  
  
“Were you just throwing up? Are you alright? You seemed upset in Chem…”  
  
“No, I’m fine.” Jughead shook his head.  
  
“Are you sure? I think you should go home.. I can take you to the nurse?”  
  
“It happens all the time, seriously. I’m fine.”  
  
“Go home, Jughead. You can live to miss a little school.” Jughead sighed at Kevin’s persistence. Could he really stand to miss school? His grades weren’t really great, after all it was hard to focus when he was constantly doubting himself and suffering from his stomach trying to digest itself.  
  
"Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first chapter was written by yours truly, Kai! 
> 
> •
> 
> You can yell at me on my Tumblr! By clicking there, I also take edit and writing requests in my ask box!
> 
> •
> 
> We have a Wattpad set up (Under the same username!) so please PLEASE look for us there. We also have an Instagram where we post about the cast, characters and shows! If you have an 'Archie Riverdale Amino' check out the Register where I work! We will try to update at least twice a week all the way throughout summer, and may even finish this book by the time school starts. We do hope to post more on this account later and eventually grow into a huge account with too many stories to count. Please show us to your friends cause we're cool and would appreciate reads.~K  
> Word Goal: At Least 1000 words a chapter: Met


	2. Archie Has Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie Andrews didn't completely abandon Jughead, did he? At this point.. he doesn't really know. He thought he was doing what would make him happy during the summer, but now that he isnt living in the present he starts to notice how wrong he may have been.

Archibald Andrews was the best friend of Jughead Jones, that was, until the summer before sophomore year. His plans for the summer had all gone pretty well. He had planned a road trip with Jughead, who seemed more excited about that than anything else. But Archie hadn’t planned on the next thing that happened. He fell in love.  
  
Their affair was rather odd, as the woman was much older than Archie. She had long and gorgeous brown hair that the redhead, Archie, loved. Her eyes, a dark brown color, held a strong lust that he couldn’t ever deny. It had started as an accident. She picked him up from walking home, and if he had known what it would do to his friendships, and his life, he never would have gotten into the car.  
  
He wanted to spend time with her, every day, every minute. It led him to self-destruct his own friendships. Keeping secrets from his friends was taxing, so he kept coming up with lame excuses until eventually Jug stopped asking why. It was when he cancelled the road trip that he truly felt the effects of his failing friendship. Archie knew his best friend was upset, but of course he knew Jughead tried to hide his feelings. Unfortunately, Archie knew him better than that.  
  
The morning he was supposed to go on the road trip, he woke up at 6 am on July fourth. The biggest July fourth he had ever lived through. The beautiful woman who he loved so much had pulled up outside of his house while his dad was at work. Going against his better judgement, Archibald texted his best friend, Jughead, telling him that their plans were decimated. He then proceeded to get in the car with the woman he loved.  
  
Her name was Geraldine Grundy.  
  
The rest of the summer was a blur. Archie and Geraldine snuck out. There was an abundance of sloppy kisses. In all honesty, Archie wished he could tell Jughead. He missed having his best friend by his side. He did, however, have Betty. Betty Cooper was a great friend to Archie. She was always there for him. Especially when the school year started.  
  
At first he wanted to talk to Jughead, but as the days progressed, he fell more and more in love with Geraldine, forgetting about his prior friends. The first time attempted to converse with Jughead, it hadn’t gone too well.  
  
Archie stared inside Pops. He saw Jughead, but his thoughts were clouded with the beautiful, smart, and talented Betty Cooper. He went inside the diner at looked at Pop.  
  
"Hey Pop, Betty hasn’t come in tonight has she?”  
  
“Nope. Just the nighthawk’s in tonight.” Pop tilted his head in the direction of one of the only people in the diner.  
  
“Thanks,” Archie said, his gaze falling upon Jughead. He slowly trudged over to the boy dressed in black. “Uh, can I sit, Jughead?” The clearly unhappy author crossed his arms.  
  
"If you want.” Archie sat down, his nerves jittery. He coughed awkwardly.  
  
“Whatcha working on?”  
  
“My novel,” he answered shortly. When Archie gave him an exasperated look, he continued. “It’s about this summer.. With Moose..” (yes we killed off noise but we have an unhealthy love for Jason so)  
  
“Oh..” Archie looked down. He began to think that changing the subject would be wise. Jughead noticed an awkward silence settle over the table.  
  
“Coach Clayton was in here talking to Pop Tate,” He attempted to fill the empty space, “varsity?” Archie’s head bobbed up and down. “Does that make you, what? Mr. Popular-Football-God now?” Suddenly, Archie felt a twinge of pain in his heart. Would this make Jughead not want to be his friend? What would he think of Archie? Surely, they would stay friends, right?  
  
“No..” His eyebrows furrowed together. “In fact, I’m kind of terrified I lost my best friend tonight.” Archie prayed and hoped that the raven haired boy would get the hint.  
  
“If you mean Betty,” Jughead began, “whatever happened, just.. Talk to her.” Archie frowned. That wasn’t even close to what he meant. “Yeah, it would go a long way…” The redhead opened his mouth to say something, but Jughead cut him off. “Would’ve gone a long way with me.” Not knowing how to respond, Archie got up and left, leaving a sad and silent Jughead behind.  
  
The next morning Archie was still thinking about the exchange. He decided that he should talk to Jug again. He walked into his Chem and saw the boy with the beanie. Archie set his things down in the seat to the right of Jughead and glanced at him. Realizing how indisposed the boy looked, he leaned next to him.  
  
“How are you? You look sick..” Archie saw all signs that he was being ignored. Jughead’s eyebrows furrowed and the tips of his ears turned pink. “Jug.. Jug.. I know you can hear me.. You get this look an yo-”  
  
“What do you want, Archie?” The spite in Jughead’s voice made Archie flinch.  
  
“You… just look sickly..” He carefully chose each word before he vocalized them. “We’re friends, so I figured…” The redhead trailed off as he saw Jug glaring at him, apparently he hadn’t done that good of a job picking out his phrase.  
  
“We aren’t friends, Archie. You made sure of that this summer.” Archie frowned as Jughead stood and stormed out of the classroom. Archie's eyes followed the disappearing figure until he turned the corner to the hallway, then Archie stood up. The teacher shot him a warning glare.  
  
“Sit down, Archibald,” the teacher scolded harshly. He realized that without Jughead, he felt as if he was living in constant agony. The ginger’s gaze scanned around the room, until his eyes met Kevin Keller’s. Kevin glanced at him and slowly raised his hand.  
  
“May I use the restroom?” He questioned sheepishly. The teacher sighed, but nodded, despite himself. Kevin scurried out of his seat and into the hallway. Archie could only hope that Jughead was alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Erin(And Posted By Kai)!  
> So you probably noticed that we killed off Moose instead of Jason. There is reasoning for that! (Although it is weak reasoning that mostly consists of me crying and whining about how Jason deserved better and how i want more Jason-centric things) We might make his character important later in this, though we aren't sure if it will be in a good or bad light. Unfortunately our Jughead Angst will continue and maybe even get worse. No fear though, your lovely authors will TRY our hardest to make him happy in the end.  
> ~  
> You can yell at Kai on his Tumblr! By clicking there, he also takes edit and writing requests in his ask box!
> 
> •
> 
> We have a Wattpad set up (Under the same username!) so please PLEASE look for us there. We also have an Instagram where we post about the cast, characters and shows! If you have an 'Archie Riverdale Amino' check out the Register where Kai works! We will try to update at least twice a week all the way throughout summer, and may even finish this book by the time school starts. We do hope to post more on this account later and eventually grow into a huge account with too many stories to count. Please show us to your friends cause we're cool and would appreciate reads.~K
> 
> Word Goal: At Least 1000 words a chapter: Met


	3. Kevin Gets Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevin Keller just wants to know about his friends again. He seems lost and out of the loop, but the more he tries to understand and help his friends the more destruction and conflict he seems to cause.
> 
> •
> 
> You can yell at me on my Tumblr! By clicking there, I also take edit and writing requests in my ask box!

Kevin Keller was having a wonderful day, up until he followed Jughead into the restroom. He wasn't expecting what he found: a poor sickly boy looking broken over the toilet. He knew Archie expected him to talk some sense into Jug, but it's not exactly like the two were friends. They barely ever talked to each other outside of classes because, although they shared the same friend group, Kevin and Jughead never really needed to talk to each other.  
  
“Fine.” The single word echoed throughout the room and Kevin scanned his eyes over his acquaintance. Fine? He'd heard that before.  
  
“What happened between you and Archie back there? You seemed really upset.” That was an understatement, Archie had looked devastated, crushed. Kevin wasn't going to give up on getting Jughead to talk to him. “You know he just wants to be a good friend...” He frowned when Jughead scoffed loudly.  
  
“It’s too late for that, Keller. He should have been a good friend over the summer. When I actually needed him… When I wanted him.” The words were hurled so venomously, Kevin almost flinched. It hurt him to know that Archie and Jughead were falling apart.  
  
“Look, I don't know what happened between you two this summer, but obviously it wasn't that terrible to Arch, so maybe you could be blowing it a little out of proportion?” That was evidently the wrong thing to say. It was clear when Jughead stood up and pushed past the sheriff's flamboyant son.  
  
“F*ck off, Kevin” he mumbled as he shoved himself back into the vacant hall. Kevin was left staring at Jughead’s chemistry book and an empty stall. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He had never wished that he had been closer to someone.  
  
When the bell rang Kevin was determined to seek out Archie and relay everything that had happened during class. He was sure the teacher was in dismay that he didn’t show back up, but he was too occupied trying to decide if Jughead was actually fine or not.  
  
“Archie!” He called when he spotted the head of ginger hair darting through the hallway. When he was close enough to look Archie in the eyes, he started to speak “I followed him into the bathroom. He sounded like he was throwing up, but it must have just been him retching ‘cause I didn't see anything. We talked a little about him being sick and missing school, but then he got upset because I told him that whatever happened between you guys over the summer wasn’t a big deal. What exactly did happen?”  
  
Archie sighed. “It’s a long story Kev. A really long story.”  
  
“So then I'm assuming you'll tell it to me at lunch.” Kevin raised a brow. “Right?” Archie nearly groaned, but luckily he contained his annoyance.  
  
“Fine. We can talk at lunch, but if Jug’s there I don’t believe he’d like to hear me blurting out everything to you.” Kevin, frankly, didn’t care what Jughead would think. Before Kevin knew it the bell was ringing and he was late to class.  
  
When lunch rolled around Kevin was antsy. He wanted- no Needed to know what had torn the perfect duo apart. They had always been close friends when they were young, Kevin knew that and he hadn’t even been friends with either of them until the beginning of Freshman Year.  
  
The brunette trotted over to Archie’s table, which was, unsurprisingly, lacking Jughead’s presence. He smiled as he sat down across from Archie. He was going to learn what exactly had gone so wrong in the two boys friendship from a primary source.  
  
“Jughead isn’t here, so spill.” Kevin sat with one leg on each side of the bench. He acknowledged that Betty and the new girl, Veronica, were sitting near him, but he didn’t really care. They were engaged in their own conversation about Lady Gaga. Kevin wasn't surprised when Archie pulled a face, the one he made every time he was about to try and lie his way out of a situation. “Ah ah, tell me Archikins. Jug isn’t here and you can’t lie your way out of this.” He sing-songed, cutting off the singers train of thought.  
  
“Fine.” Archie groaned loudly, “You really wanna know so bad then I'll tell you. You know that uh.. Road trip Juggy and I had planned since like, summer of 8th grade? The big one? Well I kinda, maybe, cancelled it for a girl…? A hot girl though.” Kevin mock gasped, but then thought about it a little harder.  
  
“That’s actually… Kinda lame Arch… He seemed really hyped up.” Archie knew that, obviously.  
  
“I know. But I wanted to cancel it. I like to spend time with G- this girl… You wouldn’t really understand.” Kevin rolled his eyes as if Archie was trying to speak about why trees can fly.  
  
“Because I’m gay? C’mon man.”  
  
“Fine. Yeah. I ditched him for a girl and he freaked out. Kinda like an 8 year old throwing a temper tantrum.” Archie too, rolled his eyes.  
  
“Bro, he’s supposed to be your friend. That's not cool.” Archie nearly stood up and left. Kevin wasn’t taking it “Wait, sorry. Just… you don’t give him enough credit.”  
  
“You barely know him.”  
  
“That's exactly why I wanna hear what happened between you guys from you. Jughead doesn't really… vocalize what he wants to get across.” It was then that a chilling voice spoke from behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by yours truly, Kai! I hope you like it. 
> 
> •
> 
> You can yell at me on my Tumblr! By clicking there, I also take edit and writing requests in my ask box!
> 
> •
> 
> It was surprisingly hard to write from Kevin's perspective, but hopefully I got some of it right!  
> We have a Wattpad set up (Under the same username!) so please PLEASE look for us there. We also have an Instagram where we post about the cast, characters and shows! If you have an 'Archie Riverdale Amino' check out the Register where I work! We will try to update at least twice a week all the way throughout summer, and may even finish this book by the time school starts. We do hope to post more on this account later and eventually grow into a huge account with too many stories to count. Please show us to your friends cause we're cool and would appreciate reads.~K
> 
> Word Goal: At Least 1000 words a chapter: Failed


	4. Surprise!  Jughead Has More Issues

Jughead couldn’t believe this. He stared at his so called ‘friends .’ Anger bubbled inside him. He needed to say something. Jughead moved positions so he was no longer leaning on the wall and spoke.  
  
“Either way, it’s none of your business, Kevin. My life isn’t some television show that you can just find entertainment out of. And Archie,” he said, looking at the redheaded boy, “I was starting to think that you actually cared about me and what happened. Obviously, I was wrong. You cared more about some stupid girl,” Jughead stated angrily, his voice cracking, “than you cared about me. I guess that we’re really not friends…” Jughead ignored the other boys’ shocked expression as he stormed away, clenching his fists and biting his lip as he desperately tried to salvage what little dignity he had left.  
  
They obviously hadn’t seen him come up, but even if they had Jug wasn't sure they would have stopped talking. He had shown up right after Archie had made the analogy of Jughead to an 8-year-old child throwing a tantrum. That hurt. In all honesty, Jughead didn’t feel like he was being over dramatic. His best friend from birth had ditched him and what could have been the greatest part of their friendship EVER. Jughead felt awful. And what did he do when he felt awful? Easy. He threw up.  
  
Jughead raced to the bathroom, not caring about Kevin or Archie or anyone really, especially himself. He stuck two fingers down his throat and wiggled them around, pulling them out when he felt bile rise. He threw up into the toilet, mentally cursing himself. Yeah, this made him feel a lot better, but why did it have to be him? Oh yeah. He deserved it. Jug slowly and shakily stood up. He still felt horrible. His best friend, the only one who could break down his walls, suddenly seemed to have forgotten all about him. Jughead hated everything. He hated the world and he hated Archie and he really hated himself. All Jughead wanted was death. End it all. That’s what he needed.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted as the bathroom door swung open. It was probably Archie or Kevin. Jughead didn’t want to talk to either of them. They both had gotten on his nerves, and now he needed time to cool off before he spoke to them. Surprisingly, Who has saw was not Archie, nor Kevin, but Jason Blossom. The star of several sports teams.  
  
Jughead didn’t need this, not today. He didn’t need the captain of the football team coming in and bullying him about things he couldn't even control. After a moment he turned towards him.  
  
“Go away Jason,” he muttered, glaring at the redheaded boy.  
  
“Hey,” Jason responded, throwing his hands up in surrender, “I just want to help.”  
  
“Help with what?” Jughead spat spitefully. “My bad day?”  
  
“No… Your, umm… Your problem.”  
  
“You’re my only problem, Jason. So please, do me a favor and go away.” Jughead almost thought he was the one being cruel.  
  
“I’m trying to help you, Jughead.”  
  
“I don’t need help. Look, I just didn’t feel well today and it turns out that I’m sick.”  
  
“Sick is a little bit of an understatement don’t you think?” Jason leaned on the wall and crossed his arms, his eyes scanning over the malnourished boy.  
  
“No, it’s not. How would you know anyways? You and your little posse has been bullying me for years. Now you suddenly care? I don’t think so.”  
  
“I’m surprisingly perceptive, Forsythe.” He held a weird relaxed stance. The subject was tense, but he was chill. Jughead raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Forsythe? That makes me want to throw up more.” He crossed his arms.  
  
“Kind of how you just did? And how you did yesterday? And the day before that and who even knows how long this has been going on.”  
  
“It’s only been happening for a few days, Jason. I’m sick and my dad can’t afford medicine. Get over yourself.” Jughead rolled his eyes and began to exit the restroom. Jason frowned and stuck his arm out, blocking the exit.  
  
“Just… be careful Jughead. If you wanna talk to someone who doesn’t know you that well…” Jason pulled his arm back and nodded. Jughead scoffed and left. Why would anyone like Jason Blossom want to actually help him? If Archie didn’t care about him, and Betty didn’t, then who would? His childhood bully? No thanks.  
  
About a week later, Jughead found himself being ignored by a certain redheaded boy, Archie. Jug hated the fact that one simple mistake, which wasn’t even his own, had destroyed the foundation of a wonderful friendship he had built up over the years. He just wanted Archie back. He missed having his shelter, the person he knew he could always trust. The one person he cared about was gone forever and there was nothing he could do about it. Now, there was no one for him to go to. And there was absolutely no way in hell that Jughead would ever find himself at the feet of Jason Blossom, asking him to listen to his problems. There was always Betty, right?  
  
When lunchtime came around, Jughead plopped down in a seat next to the beautiful blonde, Betty Cooper.  
  
“Hey Jug,” she said to him, her eyes sparkling.  
  
“Hey Betty,” Jughead responded, glancing around, only to find that Archie wasn’t there, which, in all honesty, did not surprise the emotionally unstable boy. “Where’s Archie?” He asked curiously.  
  
“He’s in the music room. Now that the new teachers been hired he has to somehow convince her to give him classes like Gibson was doing” She was bitter about the name.  
  
“Oh… Okay.” Jughead sighed softly. “We haven’t talked in awhile… How have you been doing lately?”  
  
“Good actually. I’ve been helping Veronica learn her way around the school and she’s actually really cool. All that stuff we heard about her being the ‘Ice queen’ of her last school wasn't true.” Betty grinned.  
  
“That’s nice.” Jughead didn’t care about Veronica, but if she made Betty happy, then she was okay.  
  
“Did you have something you wanted to talk about? Before I launch into a whole vent about Ronnie.” Jughead thought for a moment. Should he tell her?  
  
“Ummm… No, I’m fine. Go ahead.” Betty smiled sweetly and shrugged.  
  
“She told me all about her life in New York. She used to go to this super rich private school where they were all about the rules. But she broke them anyways. She’s like a super bad-girl, the total opposite of me.”  
  
“What’s wrong with that?” Jughead asked.  
  
“Literally nothing. She’s so cool”  
  
“Okay…” He shrugged and looked towards the table of football jocks. Betty sighed, she wasn’t sure what else to say. Jason was sitting on the table, his feet resting on the bench. He was surrounded by jocks and cheerleaders including Cheryl, Reggie, and Chuck. Jughead shot a quick glare at the Blossom boy. They hadn't talked since the bathroom incident.  
  
“How much do you know about Jason Blossom?” He asked Betty, still looking at Jason.  
  
“My sister Polly used to date him… They were together most of her freshman year and that summer. He’s supposedly really nice?” she sighed “Polly used to talk all the time about how he changed when they were alone. Like all of a sudden he was a different person. I dunno. When they broke up Polly was devastated. Yelled at him and cried, but he didn’t yell back. He even seemed sad about it. I don't think he's dated many people, if anyone, since.” she smiled “Why do you ask?” Jughead anxiously tapped his fingers on the table.  
  
“It’s nothing, really. He just… Did something, I guess? It’s really hard to explain…”  
  
“Something bad or something neutral,” She asked quietly, “Or even something good?”  
  
“It depends on how you look at it,” he started, finishing up his lunch. “What he did was… unexpected. It was his reaction to a pretty bad situation…”  
  
“Oh… well… I think he’s a good person, you know? But he's too easily influenced by people.”  
  
“He’s been bullying me for years, Betty. He offered to help me with something, but the thing is, I don't want help from a guy like him. You’re right. He’s too easily influenced. This thing he offered to help with is huge. I don't want him to suddenly just stop caring. I bet he doesn’t even really care about me. Why would he? He is the captain of the football team. The leader of all jocks. He would never try to help someone so pathetic as-”  
  
“Jughead. Slow down. You're overthinking this way too much.” Betty sighed “You never know, maybe he really did want to help you. You might want to try giving him a chance. You don’t want to be the one whose exiling him.” she shrugged “Just think about what motives he might have. Why he would offer to help you and what kind of person he is. Then make an educated decision.”  
  
“You don’t understand. You don’t understand at all. He’s the kind of guy who would pretend to be my friend, but eventually turn on me. I don’t want to be used, Betty. The guy drives me crazy. Even so, I don’t even really need help. Especially not from him. Jason Blossom is the kind of guy to expose my secrets to everyone just for some laughs, and I can’t have that.”  
  
“That's fair… I’m not sure I would trust him either. Just do what you think is right, okay Jug? Things will all work out.”  
  
“You can never be sure…” Jughead got up from the table and went out of the lunchroom, presumably to the restroom to throw up. What he didn’t notice was a certain redhead trailing behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This chapter was written by, yours truly, Erin! This was, by far, our longest chapter. I'm super proud. Also we use this online grader and it only gave us a B...? What? Okay, I'm so happy that Jason Blossom is finally relevant! Yay! I also hope that Archie will get his act together soon. And unfortunately, I'm afraid our poor Jughead's problems will get worse...  
> •
> 
> You can yell at Kai on his Tumblr! By clicking there, he also takes edit and writing requests in his ask box!
> 
> •
> 
> We have an Wattpad set up (Under the same username!) so please PLEASE look for us there. We also have an Instagram where we post about the cast, characters and shows! If you have an 'Archie Riverdale Amino' check out The Register where Kai works! Also check out the Riverdale Journal where I just started working as a writer! We will try to update at least twice a week all the way throughout summer, and may even finish the book by the time School starts. We do hope to post more on this account later and eventually grow into a huge account with too many stories to count. Please show us to your friends cause we're cool and would appreciate reads. ~E  
> Word goal: 1000 words a chapter: Holy yes


	5. Jason Realizes That People Have Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason blossom is desperately trying to help Jughead, but hes not sure why? I am so very sorry that this looks like a Jason x Jughead chapter, its not. That's just my default of writing Jason. Super kind to everyone and a total dweeb that fits into this shell for society.
> 
> •
> 
> You can yell at me on my Tumblr! By clicking there, I also take edit and writing requests in my ask box!

He seemed almost in a daze as he woke up that morning. The red-headed Jason Blossom had had a long night studying for his science test. He worked really hard to keep up his grades, and he always had, otherwise his parents would throw a fit. If he was being honest, he wasn’t the perfect boy he had been trained to be. He was bad at science and math, he liked to party and he definitely didn't want to grow up to work in the Maple Syrup business. His parents didn't know any of this, obviously.

Jason had always been expected to be perfect. The only person who hadn't held him to that standard was Polly Cooper, but when people started to find out about them, he cracked under the pressure and broke up with the blonde cheerleader. Now, Jason was one of the most popular jocks in the school, and no one even mentioned Polly around him anymore. 

He got dressed for the school day in his typical “I’m a rich Blossom” clothes and his Varsity Jacket. Today was just like every day where he would throw on a mask and pretend to be the wonderful Jason Blossom. At times it got tiring, but it wasn't like one day he could just give it up. His parents would kill him. As perfect as his family seemed it was quite Dysfunctional.

After Jason drove Cheryl to school in his red convertible, they parted ways. Sure they were Blossoms, and they were both popular, but they did have different friend groups. Jason's first class was chemistry, and although he played it cool, he was extremely nervous about the test.  
The school day seemed to fly by, and soon he was at lunch. He had everything in his life set to a timetable, but today he decided to do something different. He didn't know what inspired it, I mean after all he had no reason to follow the boy.

Every day Jason had picked up on Jughead Jones, the edgy teen he only occasionally bullied, slipping into the bathroom. Now normally, Jason wouldn't care. Other people's lives weren't his business, and it's not like he had ever even had a conversation with the boy, but for some reason this seemed different.

“I’ll be right back, Reg” he flashed his signature smile and started towards the restroom. He may have seemed cold and heartless, but he cared about people. If he could make a difference, he would. So, following his morals, Jason went into the bathroom to help the black haired boy.  
Trying to be as quiet as possible, he swung open the door. 

“Go away Jason,” was the first thing he heard out of Jughead’s mouth, well that was harsh.

“Hey,” Jason said, gently putting his hands up in surrender. “I just want to help.” He tried to seem friendly, after all he did truly want to help.

“Help with what?” Jughead fired back sarcastically. “My bad day?” Jason sighed internally. 

“No… Your, umm… Your problem.” That was the nicest way he could phrase it.

“You’re my only problem, Jason. So please, do me a favor and go away.” 

“I’m trying to help you, Jughead.” Jason didn't want to fight, That wasn't the purpose of the conversation, he just wanted to help.

“I don’t need help. Look, I just didn’t feel well today and it turns out that I’m sick.”

“Sick is a little bit of an understatement don’t you think?” 

“No, it’s not. How would you know anyway? You and your little posse has been bullying me for years. Now you suddenly care? I don’t think so.” Jughead was right, he had bullied the boy, in fact, Reggie and Jason had lead the tauntings. 

“I’m surprisingly perceptive, Forsythe.” That was the best thing he could say to defend himself.

“Forsythe? That makes me want to throw up more.” 

“Kind of how you just did? And how you did yesterday? And the day before that and who even knows how long this has been going on.” He regretted the words almost as soon as they were out of his mouth, but he had practice acting like he didn't regret anything.

“It’s only been happening for a few days, Jason. I’m sick and my dad can’t afford medicine. Get over yourself.” When Jughead tried to leave, Jason panicked. His arm shot out and Jugheads exit was blocked.

“Just… be careful Jughead. If you wanna talk to someone who doesn’t know you that well…” He knew that it wasn't the most comforting thing he could say, but he remembered when his life seemed to be weighing on his shoulders, he wanted nothing more than to rant to a stranger. Scared the his friends would change their outview on him, he kept it all bottled up. It wasn't healthy. He faintly realized he was still blocking the way, so he stepped back and let Jughead leave. He only waited a few minutes before jogging back out to his friends with a small, cocky smile.

Jason, as expected, was one of the first people in the outdoor cafe. He sat on the table as he always did, with his feet on the bench. It took only mere moments before he was surrounded by the top tier of Riverdale's social hierarchy: Cheryl, Reggie, Chuck, the list could go on. He didn't notice the rest of the lunchroom/ outdoor area fill up, but there was soon the low buzz of conversations filling up the space. Reggie and chuck bounced conversation through the group the topics ranging from girls to football and back to the girls, the back to football. Jocks truly were amazing creatures. 

Before long Jason could feel a set of eyes boring into him. He knew they belonged to Jughead, he also knew he couldn’t look over.

“Bro.” Apparently Jason had tuned out Reggie. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“Yeah, She's hot too...”

“We were talking about football.” Reggie gave him a look. 

“Oh…” Well, he had a 50 percent chance of getting it right. “Well sorry…” 

When Jughead stood up, Jason could see him. He darted his eyes over for a split second, only long enough for him to be able to see where Jughead was going.

“Uh, I’ll be right back. I forgot I needed to talk to… Coach Clayton about something.” The noise that escaped Chuck's mouth nearly had Jason hitting his head on the wall. Using his friend's dad as an excuse might not have been the best idea. Frankly, he did particularly care. Jason stood up and waved his friends of before jogging to the bathroom.

When Jason walked into the bathroom he immediately knew Jughead wasn't aware of his presence. The sounds of retching and gagging reverberated off the tile walls. 

“Jughead?” He gently knocked on the stall door. Jughead continued to retch, not caring about Jason. “Jughead.” He repeated. The raven haired boy stopped his actions.

“What do you want, Sharpay?” 

“Okay, one. That was rude. Two, I am obviously Ryan.” Jughead rolled his eyes. 

“So you’re the gay one?” Jason stood still for a moment.

“Would that be a problem?” He raised his eyebrows. Jug fake gasped. 

“Did I just out Jason Blossom?” 

“No, my sister's a lesbian though.”

“So clearly, she’s Ryan. Which makes you, Sharpay… What do you want anyways?” Jason thought for a moment, what exactly did he want?

“Uh… to help? Again. I dunno.. I just wanted to see if you were still throwing up all your food.”

“Well whoops. I still am. And I don’t want your help, wannabe Archie.. I don’t need help at all, really.” The redhead crossed his arms.

‘You’re throwing up after every meal. I don’t care if you want it, you need it.” Jason chose to ignore the piece about Archie. 

“Have you ever thought, Jason, that I do it on purpose? That I.. I don’t know.. Like the feeling? I don’t want, or need, help.” 

“Of course you do it on purpose. I’ve never heard of an eating disorder that didn't start on purpose.”** Jason frowned, “It’s classified as a mental disorder, you know. A sickness of the head, and just like the flu it needs to be treated.”

“I’m not sick. This is different than a mental disorder. Look, I’m fine… No one cares anyways. I don’t see what the big deal is.” Jughead stood up, flushed the toilet full of his vomit, and crossed his arms. 

“I care. Clearly.” Jason sighed.

“No, no, you don’t. I don’t know why you’re doing this anyways. To prove something?”

“That makes two of us… I’m not proving anything…” The twin shrugged, “I just...care.”

“You don’t. You have never cared about me or anything I’ve ever done. This is no different. I don’t need, nor want, help from you. If I killed myself tomorrow, you wouldn’t give a sh*t. No one would. Not Betty, or Archie, and especially not you.”

“Wow… that… hurts. You really don’t think any of your friends care about you… that sucks.” Jason frowned. “They do care, you know. Every single one of them. Like… you remember that time Archie got a black eye because he was defending you?”

“Yeah. From you. My point is… You don’t care. Archie’s done with me. Betty is just a people pleaser. They. Don’t. Care. I’ll do it, you know. I’ll kill myself and you’ll see for yourself. And you know whose fault it will be? Yours.” Jughead pushed past him and went to exit the restroom. Jason froze, but his ‘I Don’t Care’ demeanor stayed. Not for long. First a crack, then a few more, before suddenly the mask that was Jason Blossom shattered as if it had been hit with a metal pole. The walls around him fell until there was no longer the rumored Jason Blossom, but just a fragile teenager. Before he knew what was happening, he had pulled Jughead into a warm and comforting hug.

Jughead stopped, not saying a word or moving. He had no clue what to do. Sadness overwhelmed the boy as he began crying. The tears didn’t stop as he buried his face into Jason’s chest. 

“I’m sorry,” Jug whimpered, his voice sounding broken. At first Jason stayed silent, he knew that Jughead needed to feel comforted.

“It’s okay… you can cry…” Jughead continued whimpering and crying, not caring when he heard the bathroom door open. Jason looked over to who opened the door. He was surprised to be faced with one of his best friends, Reggie Mantle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Hello Vixens! It's Kai here with another Update of this!
> 
> •
> 
> You can yell at me on my Tumblr! By clicking there, I also take edit and writing requests in my ask box!
> 
> •
> 
> I'm so very sorry that it took this long to update, but my grandparents were staying at my house and i was doing all sorts of things! I went white water rafting, explored a castle, learned a dance and watched a movie all in the span of 2 days! After a week i was exhausted so yesterday was my break, but i am back and in the business. This chapter focused alot on Jason trying to help Jughead, and it came out almost Jason x Jughead, which it wont end up as endgame. We're more hoping to focus this fic on Jughead struggle with himself rather than a relationship.  
> I wanted to add a little piece, There is a place in this chapter where I added a ** at the end of what Jason said, I know that this statement isn't true for all people and i don't want to offend anyone by that, it was purely what the character needed to say in order for the scene to happen correctly.  
> Please come back soon and remember to comment and Kudos!  
> We have a Wattpad set up (Under the same username!) so please PLEASE look for us there. We also have an Instagram where we post about the cast, characters and shows! If you have an 'Archie Riverdale Amino' check out The Register where Kai works! Also check out the Riverdale Journal where Erin just started working as a writer! We will try to update at least twice a week all the way throughout summer, and may even finish the book by the time School starts. We do hope to post more on this account later and eventually grow into a huge account with too many stories to count. Please show us to your friends cause we're cool and would appreciate reads. ~K
> 
> Word goal: 1000 words a chapter: Holy yes


End file.
